BELLE FOURCHE—Excitement filled the air at the Roundup Arena as the Ranch Rodeo kicked off the opening festivities of the 107th Black Hills Roundup on the evening of June 30.
The 17th Annual Ranch Rodeo offered more than just rodeo action—it offered a full slate of events for those who came out to take in all the activities.
Beginning at 5 p.m., the Ag Committee hosted a free community barbecue for those who purchased a Ranch Rodeo ticket. Roast beef, potato chips, a pickle and a cookie, along with bottled water, were served. The line moved fast as volunteers kept the food flowing.
The vendor booths inside the Roundup Grounds were open, inviting visitors to shop while they were there.
Starting right at 5:45 p.m., the littlest cowboys and cowgirls took the spotlight to ride mutton. The tiny contestants crawled on the backs of big woolly sheep, grasped onto the wool and held tight when the chute door opened and let the fluffy beast out into the big arena. Some riders lasted a jump or two out of the gate, while others stayed on the sheep’s back all the way across the arena. Every rider received a score. The rider with the highest score of the night received a belt buckle for first place.
When the last sheep bucked, the focus shifted to the royalty contestants as they took center stage for the crowning of the winners in the Miss Black Hills Roundup Queen, Jr. Miss and Princess contest.
All of the contestants spent the day before coronation participating in personal interviews, speeches, horsemanship and modeling, all vying for the opportunity to be the face of the 7-time PRCA Medium Rodeo of the Year and represent the Black Hills Roundup over the next year.
The Ranch Rodeo got underway with all of the teams entering the arena for the introduction and the Cowboy Auction. One by one each team was auctioned off. The highest-selling team at the auction was a tie between Crago Land & Livestock Team, bid on by St. Onge Livestock, and Pioneer Bank & Trust Team, bid on by Short Grass Co. Both teams brought a bid of $3,500.
On each team, one person was the designated bronc rider. The bronc riders were auctioned off separately. Tait Eaton from the Pioneer Bank & Trust Team received the highest bid of the night at $2,750.
Ranch rodeo is a bit different from a traditional rodeo because the events are based on skills used on a cattle ranch. Rather than bull riding and barrel racing, events included sorting, branding, stray gathering, wild cow milking and bronc riding. Twelve teams of four cowboys and cowgirls competed in the five different events, with the fastest times winning. At the end of the night, all the points from each event were tallied to name the winners.
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